Forest Therapy Guide Certification Trainings

A certified training to become a Forest Therapy Guide.

A profound transformational journey of remembering and deepening your relationship with the Earth and all beings.

A pathway for professional expansion.

What Is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide?

Do you feel a deep love for nature and are looking for ways to support our planet?

Are you curious about the health benefits of being in nature and want to learn more about the research?

What would it be like if you could support others, one by one, to remember their relationship and their place in the bigger web of Life?

What would it be like if a growing number of people saw the Earth as more than just a resource available for us and sought ways of reciprocating with the Earth?

These are important questions, for us and the Earth. How can we heal and heal the Planet at the same time?

"The Forest is the Therapist, the Guide opens the Doors."

- Amos Clifford

We Train Forest Therapy Guides

Forest Therapy is a practice that emphasizes the therapeutic benefits of spending time in nature. During a guided forest therapy walk, trained guides facilitate an immersive experience in nature, allowing participants to connect with their surroundings and them selves through their senses. The aim is to slow down and become aware of the present moment, creating a deeper connection with the natural environment.

‍We train guides, not therapists. The role of the guide is not to act as a therapist, but rather to facilitate an environment that allows the forest to be the therapist. Guides are trained to provide “invitations” that encourage participants to engage with the natural environment in a mindful and sensory way. By doing so, participants can unlock the healing potential of the forest, with the guide serving as a facilitator of the process.

In Forest Therapy, the emphasis is placed on the sensory experience of the forest rather than intellectual understanding. Forest Therapy Guides do not aim to impart the factual expertise of naturalist knowledge, but rather prioritize nurturing curiosity and asking good questions. Unlike other approaches to nature education, Forest Therapy Guides focus on developing a deep connection with the forest through attention to the senses, rather than imparting traditional knowledge.

Forest Therapy guides who have acquired basic proficiency in the practice can integrate Forest Therapy techniques in their own field. This integration can lead to excellent results in fields such as psychotherapy, professional life coaching, expressive arts, mindfulness meditation, PTSD recovery, and more. Guides are encouraged to bring their creativity and experience to create new or modified invitations for Forest Therapy and share them with other guides on a private online group maintained by the Association.

Healing begins within the heart

The work of healing our planet begins within the heart. Relational Forest Therapy ™ is a heart-based practice. We and the planet heal together. It’s an inside job, one that requires us to go outside, into the heart of nature.

What Distinguishes ANFT:

Our methods and scope of practice are based upon scientifically backed research in health science. We teach our forest therapy guides a standard sequence of techniques that assist participants in receiving the full health impacts of forest medicine.

The Way of the Guide

All medicine is relational. In the Way of the Guide, as taught by ANFT, we are creating a movement that is committed to witnessing and supporting the remembering and growth of these relationships.

Heart-based relationships with the more-than-human world can take many forms. For some, it is a foundation for truly grounded approaches to activism on behalf of the environment.

Others simply enjoy how the relational framework amplifies the many health benefits of time in nature. For many, the relational experience becomes an important element of their inner development, in which the world of nature supports their connection with the unseen world of spirit.

With ANFT you will be trained to maximize your heart connection and your impact. As a guide, you will be able to creatively support others in their own journeys.

Choose your certification training journey

Same certification, different style of training journey

Start in-person and continue online

Start online and complete in-person

Note: Before you can be certified as a Forest Therapy Guide, you must possess a current Wilderness First Aid (WFA) or Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certificate. This is obtained from third-party organizations like NOLS. The class is typically a two-day event that and costs $175-300 USD; online versions of the class may be less expensive. Being able to respond to minor first-aid emergencies is a critically important skill for all Forest Therapy Guides.

"I feel so prepared."

“I completed the training in June and recently started taking my clients on nature therapy walks. The feedback has been fantastic! What struck me was how well the training prepared me. I felt I had a plenty of tools and that I could adapt the therapy to any client. I know how to choose a location, talk about the process with clients, and deal with surprises. I feel so prepared. As a psychologist I find nature therapy an invaluable way to assist clients in accessing something healing that can't be accessed through talk therapy. Thank you!”

Christa Smith

Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist